An insight into the likely date upon which Dani Alves will mark his 2nd debut in Barcelona colours has been provided on Monday.
Xavi sanctions comeback
The name of Brazilian icon Alves of course took centre stage in the Catalan capital over the early weeks of November.
This came on the back of the shock announcement that, a full five years after departing, the veteran defender was set to link back up with the club with whom he enjoyed near-unrivalled success.
On the back of Xavi Hernandez’s instillation on the bench at the Camp Nou, speculation quickly began to spread that a reunion with Alves may be on the cards, owing to the latter’s free agent status.
And precisely that was confirmed on November 12th, as Barca took to the club’s social media platforms to announce their beloved one-time full-back’s imminent return:
🤯 @DaniAlvesD2 is coming back to Barça!
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) November 12, 2021
Debut date?
Alves, at 38, is expected to play something of a bit-part role over the remainder of the campaign, with his more telling contributions likely to come behind the scenes at the Camp Nou, in aiding the development of the likes of Sergino Dest and Oscar Mingueza.
His competitive bow, meanwhile, will not come until the new year, owing to the fact that the stopper did not technically rescind his contract with Sao Paulo until the middle of September, when the La Liga transfer window was already closed.
If the latest word stemming from the Spanish media on Monday is anything to go by, though, then the Barcelona faithful may in fact be handed the chance to see Alves back in the club’s colours before the January window swings open.
As per a report from Mundo Deportivo, the veteran Brazilian looks primed to feature in a Barca friendly organised for next month.
The Catalans are due to face off against Argentine giants Boca Juniors on December 14th, to vie it out for the Maradona Cup.
And Alves, owing to the matchup’s friendly status, will be eligible to feature, opening the door for his first Barcelona appearance since all the way back in 2016.
🔵🔴 La fecha del ‘debut’ de Alves con el Barçahttps://t.co/1bANIEozuB
— Mundo Deportivo (@mundodeportivo) November 29, 2021
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